My 720s has gone boom
Discussion
So had the car for 7 days. Driving back from work today I notice smoke out the back, stop immediately and there are now plumes of smoke pouring out. I’m thinking the cars gonna burn to the ground so used the fire extinguisher and called McLaren assist. They call fire brigade and 3 hours later I’m back home and the cars on a tow truck. Seems like the coolant hose came off and luckily not smoke but steam.
I have to say Mclaren have been awesome as I’ve had 5 personal calls to reassure me and setup collection and repair. But it was super embarrassing and scary too. People seemed to either relish the fact a supercar was on the side of the road on fire or some nice people really helped.
Hoping they can fix this soon.
But also a little disappointed with such a big issue so soon into ownership. Not sure if I have the confidence to drive the car far again incase something similar happens. No problems when I had my huracan for three years. And this after 7 days!
Why are the hose clips so weak! Should they upgrade them?
I have to say Mclaren have been awesome as I’ve had 5 personal calls to reassure me and setup collection and repair. But it was super embarrassing and scary too. People seemed to either relish the fact a supercar was on the side of the road on fire or some nice people really helped.
Hoping they can fix this soon.
But also a little disappointed with such a big issue so soon into ownership. Not sure if I have the confidence to drive the car far again incase something similar happens. No problems when I had my huracan for three years. And this after 7 days!
Why are the hose clips so weak! Should they upgrade them?
That's very sad to read. I feel your pain.
I also had a coolant leak but thankfully it was spotted before it became a major issue. The McLaren Dealership replaced the hose clamp with a "Jubilee Clamp", instead of using the factory fit "Oetiker Clamp". Just goes to show how much confidence they have in the factory fit clamps.
Thorney Motorsport can replace the clamps.
https://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/product/comple...
Not sure if it would invalidate your warranty. Maybe the dealership will replace with upgraded versions?
Insist that they take the undertrays off and look at all clamps and hoses. Whenever my 720S has been in for repair, they have carried out a 'safety check' video which they will email a link for you to see. It includes a walk around underneath of the car.
I also had a coolant leak but thankfully it was spotted before it became a major issue. The McLaren Dealership replaced the hose clamp with a "Jubilee Clamp", instead of using the factory fit "Oetiker Clamp". Just goes to show how much confidence they have in the factory fit clamps.
Thorney Motorsport can replace the clamps.
https://www.thorneymotorsport.co.uk/product/comple...
Not sure if it would invalidate your warranty. Maybe the dealership will replace with upgraded versions?
Insist that they take the undertrays off and look at all clamps and hoses. Whenever my 720S has been in for repair, they have carried out a 'safety check' video which they will email a link for you to see. It includes a walk around underneath of the car.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 29th November 19:17
LaurasOtherHalf said:
MAC 720S said:
ian-0vc7e said:
They did the video walk around safety check 9 days ago. Fat lot of good that did!
Well, you are certainly going to get McLaren's attention after posting on here, that's for sure.
They also said that they will upgrade all the hose fittings for me, and give me a 570 as a loaner. So far so good.
s
t happens, for 30 mins I was sat at the side of the road thinking my brand new car was going to burn to the ground. But now on reflection it’s not so bad. It’s repairable and I will report on how McLaren handle the repair which I don’t doubt will be first class. ian-0vc7e said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
MAC 720S said:
ian-0vc7e said:
They did the video walk around safety check 9 days ago. Fat lot of good that did!
Well, you are certainly going to get McLaren's attention after posting on here, that's for sure.They also said that they will upgrade all the hose fittings for me, and give me a 570 as a loaner. So far so good.
s
t happens, for 30 mins I was sat at the side of the road thinking my brand new car was going to burn to the ground. But now on reflection it’s not so bad. It’s repairable and I will report on how McLaren handle the repair which I don’t doubt will be first class. It's the attention-grabbing headline "My 720s has gone boom" that I was referring to. There's been a few similar on PH / Youtube / Facebook etc. That kid called Sideways Sid (now rebranded Sid North) was having a pop recently with his 12C supposedly breaking down on the M25 (his McLaren videos have now disappeared from his YT channel), then there's TGE, Phil Dixon, Salomondrin etc.
PH is a very popular source of info for journalists and social media influencers to refer to, to feed into their salacious headlines and exaggerated stories.
Once they read the content, they will see that you have had a frightening experience, but you are happy that they are doing something about it very quickly. Must have s
t yourself seeing all the steam (thinking it was smoke) coming out from behind the rear window.Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 29th November 23:55
That's a real shame, actually not a particularly major failure, but still scary, disruptive and confidence sapping
I only have a 12c, but having read about the problems with hose clips I thought I'd investigate myself, Got the car on a lift, removed under trays and had a good look. Sure enough, several of the clips are the 6mm wide, single use, stainless jobbies that you need a special tool to fit & tension.
I'd say that would probably be OK when brand new, but they have to come off at every service and be replaced perfectly or trouble looms.
I bought a set of the Thorney ones (I think there's about 16 in total - £55) and have started a DIY replacement program. It seems that the 60mm ones on the radiator hoses around the water pump are the most troublesome. Luckily these are also the easiest to replace - but you do have to be careful to release the pressure in the rads before taking the old clips off or the hose can blow off (ask me how I know !).
The Thorney ones are vastly superior - a 2 part motor sport spec stainless clip about 15mm wide with a contoured inner surface. Re usable and you can adjust the tightness if needed.
Another thing worth noting is that (on the 12c at least) you cannot just re fill the cooling system from the header tank. To refill it properly you need to use a vacuum fill tool - this takes all the air out of the system then introduces coolant to take it's place, thus ensuring no air locks in the cylinder heads (which are higher than the fill point).
Once again, a real shame. £200k car let down by a 20p hose clip. Still, easily fixed and unlikley to happen again if done properly.
I only have a 12c, but having read about the problems with hose clips I thought I'd investigate myself, Got the car on a lift, removed under trays and had a good look. Sure enough, several of the clips are the 6mm wide, single use, stainless jobbies that you need a special tool to fit & tension.
I'd say that would probably be OK when brand new, but they have to come off at every service and be replaced perfectly or trouble looms.
I bought a set of the Thorney ones (I think there's about 16 in total - £55) and have started a DIY replacement program. It seems that the 60mm ones on the radiator hoses around the water pump are the most troublesome. Luckily these are also the easiest to replace - but you do have to be careful to release the pressure in the rads before taking the old clips off or the hose can blow off (ask me how I know !).
The Thorney ones are vastly superior - a 2 part motor sport spec stainless clip about 15mm wide with a contoured inner surface. Re usable and you can adjust the tightness if needed.
Another thing worth noting is that (on the 12c at least) you cannot just re fill the cooling system from the header tank. To refill it properly you need to use a vacuum fill tool - this takes all the air out of the system then introduces coolant to take it's place, thus ensuring no air locks in the cylinder heads (which are higher than the fill point).
Once again, a real shame. £200k car let down by a 20p hose clip. Still, easily fixed and unlikley to happen again if done properly.
speedick said:
That's a real shame, actually not a particularly major failure, but still scary, disruptive and confidence sapping
I only have a 12c, but having read about the problems with hose clips I thought I'd investigate myself, Got the car on a lift, removed under trays and had a good look. Sure enough, several of the clips are the 6mm wide, single use, stainless jobbies that you need a special tool to fit & tension.
I'd say that would probably be OK when brand new, but they have to come off at every service and be replaced perfectly or trouble looms.
I bought a set of the Thorney ones (I think there's about 16 in total - £55) and have started a DIY replacement program. It seems that the 60mm ones on the radiator hoses around the water pump are the most troublesome. Luckily these are also the easiest to replace - but you do have to be careful to release the pressure in the rads before taking the old clips off or the hose can blow off (ask me how I know !).
The Thorney ones are vastly superior - a 2 part motor sport spec stainless clip about 15mm wide with a contoured inner surface. Re usable and you can adjust the tightness if needed.
Another thing worth noting is that (on the 12c at least) you cannot just re fill the cooling system from the header tank. To refill it properly you need to use a vacuum fill tool - this takes all the air out of the system then introduces coolant to take it's place, thus ensuring no air locks in the cylinder heads (which are higher than the fill point).
Once again, a real shame. £200k car let down by a 20p hose clip. Still, easily fixed and unlikley to happen again if done properly.
McLaren on the left, Thorney on the right. Huge difference.I only have a 12c, but having read about the problems with hose clips I thought I'd investigate myself, Got the car on a lift, removed under trays and had a good look. Sure enough, several of the clips are the 6mm wide, single use, stainless jobbies that you need a special tool to fit & tension.
I'd say that would probably be OK when brand new, but they have to come off at every service and be replaced perfectly or trouble looms.
I bought a set of the Thorney ones (I think there's about 16 in total - £55) and have started a DIY replacement program. It seems that the 60mm ones on the radiator hoses around the water pump are the most troublesome. Luckily these are also the easiest to replace - but you do have to be careful to release the pressure in the rads before taking the old clips off or the hose can blow off (ask me how I know !).
The Thorney ones are vastly superior - a 2 part motor sport spec stainless clip about 15mm wide with a contoured inner surface. Re usable and you can adjust the tightness if needed.
Another thing worth noting is that (on the 12c at least) you cannot just re fill the cooling system from the header tank. To refill it properly you need to use a vacuum fill tool - this takes all the air out of the system then introduces coolant to take it's place, thus ensuring no air locks in the cylinder heads (which are higher than the fill point).
Once again, a real shame. £200k car let down by a 20p hose clip. Still, easily fixed and unlikley to happen again if done properly.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 30th November 00:28
MAC 720S said:
I know for a fact they read these boards.
It's the attention-grabbing headline "My 720s has gone boom" that I was referring to. There's been a few similar on PH / Youtube / Facebook etc. That kid called Sideways Sid (now rebranded Sid North) was having a pop recently with his 12C supposedly breaking down on the M25 (his McLaren videos have now disappeared from his YT channel), then there's TGE, Phil Dixon, Salomondrin etc.
PH is a very popular source of info for journalists and social media influencers to refer to, to feed into their salacious headlines and exaggerated stories.
Once they read the content, they will see that you have had a frightening experience, but you are happy that they are doing something about it very quickly. Must have st yourself seeing all the steam (thinking it was smoke) coming out from behind the rear window.
It's not like they could do much about an owner's honest retelling of his experience.It's the attention-grabbing headline "My 720s has gone boom" that I was referring to. There's been a few similar on PH / Youtube / Facebook etc. That kid called Sideways Sid (now rebranded Sid North) was having a pop recently with his 12C supposedly breaking down on the M25 (his McLaren videos have now disappeared from his YT channel), then there's TGE, Phil Dixon, Salomondrin etc.
PH is a very popular source of info for journalists and social media influencers to refer to, to feed into their salacious headlines and exaggerated stories.
Once they read the content, they will see that you have had a frightening experience, but you are happy that they are doing something about it very quickly. Must have s
t yourself seeing all the steam (thinking it was smoke) coming out from behind the rear window.Edited by MAC 720S on Friday 29th November 23:55
I must say, as a prospective owner none of these stories is doing my confidence in the brand any good.
Kid A said:
It's not like they could do much about an owner's honest retelling of his experience.
I must say, as a prospective owner none of these stories is doing my confidence in the brand any good.
I disagree. Any companycan attempt to deal with a situation as soon as they could, preventing it getting to social media.I must say, as a prospective owner none of these stories is doing my confidence in the brand any good.
Without any disrespect to the author and the "new underpants required" experience which was bloody scary at the time, the headline doesn't fairly represent the actual incident IMHO. "My 720s has gone boom" vs "broken hose clip" - which one is a) more accurate and b) more appealing from a supplier's perspective? This is why social media can be a bloody nightmare for companies!
Your 2nd sentence is exactly the reason why company's could/should do this!
Edited by PompeyReece on Saturday 30th November 12:29
It did go boom. Driving along the road and thick smoke/steam coming out of the engine bay bad enough for me to have to use the fire extinguisher and wait nervously for 15 mins for a fire engine to attend. Okay in hindsight it was a small hose clip that went. But these aren’t mass produced cars and I bought it 7 days ago and requested the hose clips were checked and a full video inspection was done.
The title of this thread is intended so that potential purchasers are informed of common weaknesses and can request this is address at point of purchase.
IMO McLaren should upgrade clips on all cars at next service or do a recall which would prevent issues like this. I took £157,000 out of my bank account 7 days ago, gave it to McLaren, was assured that the car was checked professionally by a master tech and then boom... for 30 mins I stood watching what I thought my £157k go up in smoke.
Put yourself in my shoes. This should have been avoided by replacing £55 worth of hose clips. Much less than the repair work, trailer recovery, rental car provided, reputations damage.
If this thread means a new owner can buy a McLaren and know to get hose clips changed for peace of mind and to avoid all these inconveniences then that’s worth an honest title.
The title of this thread is intended so that potential purchasers are informed of common weaknesses and can request this is address at point of purchase.
IMO McLaren should upgrade clips on all cars at next service or do a recall which would prevent issues like this. I took £157,000 out of my bank account 7 days ago, gave it to McLaren, was assured that the car was checked professionally by a master tech and then boom... for 30 mins I stood watching what I thought my £157k go up in smoke.
Put yourself in my shoes. This should have been avoided by replacing £55 worth of hose clips. Much less than the repair work, trailer recovery, rental car provided, reputations damage.
If this thread means a new owner can buy a McLaren and know to get hose clips changed for peace of mind and to avoid all these inconveniences then that’s worth an honest title.
Edited by ian-0vc7e on Saturday 30th November 09:28
Unlucky, I can understand your frustration.
I guess what is more annoying is that these hose clips are clearly a common issue.
McLaren should be rectifying this on all cars either as a recall or as part of the service.
Negative press (overly dramatic thread title aside) does no one any good.
I guess what is more annoying is that these hose clips are clearly a common issue.
McLaren should be rectifying this on all cars either as a recall or as part of the service.
Negative press (overly dramatic thread title aside) does no one any good.
ian-0vc7e said:
It did go boom.
No it didn'tLike others, I clicked this thread expecting serious engine issues to the extent that a full rebuild or replacement was required. If not a full on car fire.
A hose clip issue on a car of this value, and a recent purchase is clearly a very unfortunate event, and shocking of McLaren they should have better clips, but your title was poorly chosen regardless
Edited by hyphen on Saturday 30th November 15:53
hyphen said:
ian-0vc7e said:
It did go boom.
No it didn'tLike others, I clicked this thread expecting serious engine issues to the extent that a full rebuild or replacement was required. If not a full on car fire.
A hose clip issue on a car of this value, and a recent purchase is clearly a very unfortunate event, and shocking of McLarenz they should have better clips, but your title was poorly chosen regardless
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